The invention relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a connector for interconnecting stacked circuit boards.
Modern electronic systems such as telecommunications systems and computer systems often include large circuit boards called backplane boards which are rack mounted or retained in cabinets and are electrically connected to a number of smaller circuit boards called daughter cards. Electrical connectors establish communications between the backplane and the daughter cards. In some applications, the daughter cards contain circuitry for driving the system and the backplane serves as a routing channel between daughter cards.
A need may arise to add components to a daughter card, such as, to add capability or upgrade the daughter card. Often this requires the addition of components to the daughter card. If space is not available on the daughter card, a mezzanine card may be used which may be stacked on the daughter card. A mezzanine connector is used to interconnect the mezzanine card and the daughter card. When the mezzanine card and daughter card are stacked, the mezzanine and daughter cards must be spaced apart a sufficient distance, called the stack height, so that clearance is provided for the components on the daughter card.
Typically, mezzanine connectors are two-piece connector systems that include a connector for the daughter card and one for the mezzanine card. The connectors are designed for a specific stack height, such that different connectors are required to meet different stack height requirements. For relatively high stack heights, such as for instance, twenty five millimeters or greater, multiple mezzanine connectors are some times stacked on top of one another to achieve a desired stack height. Consequently, connector systems tend to become more expensive as stack height increases. Stability and reliability may also become a concern as consideration must be given to the size and weight of the components and of the connectors themselves. Furthermore, some prior connector designs may also interfere with airflow or thermal management in the system.
A need exists for a connector that is configurable to provide the capability to vary the stack height between daughter cards and mezzanine cards. A further need exists for a connector that facilitates thermal management in the system by maintaining an air flow path between the mezzanine and daughter cards.